Ask Responses - VBA and BBA
Were even any black dancers at VBA or BBA?
Yes. Adrian Blake Mitchell graduated from Vaganova in 2015 (the most recent case). He’s currently in the Mikhailovsky corps de ballet but is getting lots of solo work.
Do you think that the Bolshoi Ballet Academy would also accept ballet students who don't have really long legs? And do you know if there were any German students at BBA? Thanks for answering!
I don’t know what the criteria are at either VBA or BBA. From what I’ve heard, it can depend on the preference of whoever is on the committee during the audition. Russians definitely favour long limbs, but it’s far from the only thing they look at.
If you’re seriously considering signing up for a traineeship program, maybe have a chat with some of the foreign trainees who have successfully completed VBA. I’ve interviewed several of them, and all gave their contact details and said that they’d be happy to give advice.
Sorry, I’m not familiar with the BBA foreign trainees.
Hello, I am not sure if you've answered this before but who do you think are VBAs greatest graduates from the last 5-10 years?
I’ve answered similar questions before, but this one is pretty broad as far as the time period goes. I’ve thought about this long and hard. I don’t think I can give an answer which will satisfy everyone, since VBA saw some very talented students graduate in the past ten years.
I think Olga Smirnova (who I’m not a fan of btw, but credit where credit’s due) is hands-down the best graduate of the last decade, and Renata Shakirova stands out among the more recent graduates. I think that’s my answer. Smirnova is the best graduate of the decade and Shakirova is the best graduate in the last five years.
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